This Diploma work consists of two parts, theoretical and practical. The theoretical part deals with characteristic features of ageing and changes connected with it. I also describe the adolescent development and complete this part with information of the study course called Health Care Assistant. The practical part is focused on research. The aim of this work has been to find out ambivalent attitudes of secondary health care school students to seniors. A technique of the semantic diferential was used in the field data collection. The students were asked to define their opinions and attitudes toward seniors in the scale of odd-numbered categories of lexically ambiguous word pairs, e.g. quick {--} slow, old {--} young.They were also free to express their opinions about seniors. Although there were significant differences in responds of 3ZA and 4ZA classes, the total findings have proved both hypotheses stated at the beginning. The students of secondary health care schools perceive seniors positively, on the other hand they consider them as sick people. It is obvious from the survey information that older students perceive seniors more positively than the younger ones who reported more negative attitudes toward seniors. The differences in student perception can be connected with the fact that four-year students have already passed their professional training in health care facilities. The research findings are supposed to be benefitial for professional subject teachers at secondary health care schools and for professional training mentors at health care facilities. The findings should lead to reconsidering methodical approaches to professional subject teaching and the subsequent implementation into the school educational programmes.

The population of Sweden is ageing as in almost every European country. Improved medical progresses and treatment options lead to a decreasing mortality at older ages, increasing life expectance and an advanced health of the elderly. Due to these improvements and the so called ‘baby- boomers’, a great number of persons born in the 1940s that will reach retirement age the coming years, their total number will increase strongly in the near future all over Sweden. To enable these elderly to live a normal, active and independent life as long as possible activities, services and special housing with improved accessibility and meeting places for elderly has to be provided. Thus, for local authorities it is essential to know the actual and favoured living conditions as well as environments of elderly. This study aims therefore to investigate the characteristic of preferred residential neighbourhoods of the elderly in the city of Norrköping. The demographic, social and crime situation was examined for the districts of the city using several methods from both Statistics and GIS. Statistical methods included classifications, indexes or indicators and bivariate correlations. A model was developed to combine demographic and social data to characterise districts. GIS was to a major extent used as a visualisation tool. Choropleth mapping and Kernel density estimations were used to illustrate distribution of elderly and crime. Preliminary global statistical tests were used to verify clustering in the crime data set. An accessibility analysis was conducted with the help of the network analyst tool. Results indicate that districts experiencing the highest total numbers and proportion of elderly are very distributed throughout the city of Norrköping. They are, with some exceptions, characterised by lower social status. Four districts of the city show considerable evidences of demographic ageing, experiencing a population pyramid formed like an urn. Beside districts where elderly constitute a bigger proportion of the population, they tend to live in districts characterised by a relatively high proportion of young adults aged between 20 and 29. Crime analyses have shown crime clusters in different parts of the city. A high proportion of elderly faces a high crime level in the districts Gamla staden, Nordantill and Hageby. However, it has been proved that only some hot spots of crime within these areas contribute to the high crime level. Districts such as Skarphagen, Såpkullen, Smedby and Linö, all (except Såpkullen) situated on the outskirts of the city, hold high or middle elderly and a low crime level. Accessibility analyses have shown that elderly aged over 80 do not live significant closer to health centres and the public transport stops compared to the age groups 20 – 65 and inhabitants aged between 65 and 79.

This dissertation thesis deals with an economic evaluation of population ageing in the Czech Republic. The emphasis is put on statistical and economic factors. The issue of population ageing is very wide and it affects many areas of human life. Therefore, it should be perceived in its range. The substance lies in continuity among economic area, health, education, housing, retirement policy and migration policy. Both macroeconomic and social effects of changes in the demographic structure of population should be regularly evaluated. Impacts of demographic ageing are both qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative relate to personal life, good health in old age, ensuring an adequate living standard and security of older persons. Similarly, quantitative impacts cover sustainability of funding of the pension system and social and health care systems. The thesis focuses on important factors that are often neglected and that can represent the threat to the proper function of society. On the contrary, there can be found factors acting positively e.g. the issue of labour immigration or integration of older people into the labour market. This dissertation thesis also provides complex statistical and economic view on the issue of population ageing including all key factors and effects on pensions, health, social and demographic area. The aim of the thesis lies is in the synthesis of important factors connected with population ageing and provides statistical assessment of the issue. The thesis provides procedures and methods that are innovative in the Czech Republic.

This thesis examines the relationship between demographic ageing, as captured by temporal, within-country variation in the ratio of elderly to the working-age population – the dependency ratio – on citizens’ support for the welfare state. The research problem is vitally relevant considering the worsening demographic structure of advanced democracies, a process that is having considerable ramifications on the possibilities of financing comprehensive welfare states. Using a time-series cross-sectional design, and building on representative survey data from 13 advanced democracies, the thesis specifically assesses the relationship between the dependency ratio, and individual spending preferences towards 1) the welfare state as a whole, as captured by an additive index, 2) education policy, and 3) old-age benefits. It also assesses whether demographic ageing exacerbates attitude differences between age groups, thereby scrutinising some assumptions made previously on the issue of intergenerational cleavages. The thesis uncovers no significant relationship between the dependency ratio and general support for the welfare state. However, the dependency ratio is shown be positively correlated with citizens’ support for education policy, while being instead potentially negatively correlated with support for old-age benefits. The differences between these two policies, in terms of their enjoyed support, are important considering the presumed shift in welfare state priorities towards what is commonly called social investment. Indeed, they indicate that there may be popular support for the type of reform strategies whose purpose is to invest in tomorrow’s diminishing workforce, whereas the support for more compensatory old-age policies may instead be weakening. There are also signs that the positive effect on the support for education policy is lower among older individuals. This evidence is quite interesting considering the previous expectations of deepening intergenerational cleavages as a consequence of demographic ageing, but the weak indications of this development in previous empirical research.

Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich der Frage, welche Bedeutung Außenwanderungen für die Entwicklung von Zahl und Zusammensetzung (insbesondere nach Alter) und deren räumliche und siedlungsstrukturspezifische Differenzierung der Bevölkerung und der Erwerbspersonen in Deutschland haben (können). Hintergrund der Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Frage ist die These, dem demographischen Wandel bzw. dessen Folgen ließe sich durch verstärkte Zuwanderungen wirkungsvoll begegnen. Mittels Modellrechnungen auf der Basis eines Kohorten-Komponenten-Modells wurden vier unterschiedliche Szenarien der räumlich differenzierten Bevölkerungs- und Erwerbspersonenentwicklung bis zum Jahr 2040 erstellt, die sich durch Höhe und zeitliche Verteilung der Außenwanderungssalden unterscheiden. In zwei der Szenarien wurden die jährlichen Außenwanderungssalden modellextern vorgegeben – in Szenario 1 in Höhe von (fast) Null, in Szenario 2 annähernd in Höhe des Durchschnittswertes der Außenwanderungssalden der letzten Jahrzehnte. In den anderen beiden Szenarien wurden die jährlichen Außenwanderungssalden anhand vorgegebener demographischer Zielgrößen modellintern errechnet: In Szenario 3 sind sie so hoch, dass die Bevölkerungszahl Deutschlands dauerhaft konstant bleibt, in Szenario 4 wird auf ein zeitliches Konstanthalten des Altenquotienten abgezielt. Für die anderen demographischen Größen, die für die Modellrechnungen relevant sind (betreffend Fertilität, Mortalität, Binnenwanderungen und Erwerbsbeteiligung), wurden Annahmen zu ihrer weiteren Entwicklung gesetzt, die – mit Blick auf ihre vergangene Entwicklung – für plausibel gehalten werden. Bezüglich Fertilität und Erwerbsbeteiligung wurden allerdings jeweils alternative Entwicklungsvarianten formuliert. Als räumliches Analyseraster dienen 242 Prognoseräume, die Cluster von Kreisen jeweils gleichen siedlungsstrukturellen Kreistyps darstellen. Als zentrales Ergebnis der Modellrechnungen ist herauszustellen, dass (zumindest bei anhaltend niedriger Fertilität deutlich unterhalb des Bestandserhaltungsniveaus) Zuwanderungen in einer Größenordnung, die als gesellschaftlich vertretbar vermutet werden kann, den demographischen Wandel auch nicht annähernd stoppen, sondern bestenfalls partiell dämpfen können. Das gilt zum einen mit Blick auf die hohen Zuwanderungszahlen, die zur Vermeidung der weiteren demographischen Alterung und des langfristigen Rückgangs der Gesamtbevölkerung nötig wären. Das gilt aber zum anderen und vor allem auch hinsichtlich der regionalen Differenzierung der künftigen Bevölkerungsentwicklung: Die demographischen Folgen der Zuwanderungen schlagen sich nicht annähernd flächendeckend in gleicher Weise nieder. Selbst bei ausgesprochen hohen Zuwanderungszahlen, die eine Konstanz oder gar einen deutlichen Anstieg der Gesamtbevölkerungszahl nach sich ziehen würden, wären zahlreiche Regionen Deutschlands von weiterhin relativ starken Bevölkerungsabnahmen (und damit auch Minderungen des Erwerbspersonenpotenzials) sowie deutlich überdurchschnittlicher demographischer Alterung gekennzeichnet. In erster Linie betrifft dies große Teile der neuen Bundesländer, insbesondere ihrer ländlichen Räume. Regionen, die in demographischer Hinsicht von Außenzuwanderungen „profitieren“ würden (im Sinne von deutlicher Abschwächung von Bevölkerungsabnahme und demographischer Alterung oder gar von Bevölkerungswachstum), sind in diesem Landesteil nur inselhaft vertreten; es sind vornehmlich größere Kernstädte und deren (hoch)verdichtetes Umland. Die demographischen Brüche nach der Wende, namentlich der starke Geburtenrückgang und die umfangreichen Abwanderungen nach Westdeutschland, zeigen hier langfristig eine hohe demographische Wirkmächtigkeit. Auch in Westdeutschland sind es in erster Linie Agglomerationsräume und Stadtregionen, deren demographische Entwicklung von Zuwanderungen relativ günstiger beeinflusst wird.

The aim of the thesis is to evaluate and compare the residential satisfaction of seniors aged 65 plus in three housing estates in Prague - Invalidovna, Háje and Nové Butovice, among other aspects differentiated by the date of development. The research undertaken at the turn of May and June 2011 using the method of a semi-structured interview endeavours to uncover seniors' satisfaction in several areas - basic stores and services, leisure time activities, social relationships, transport and mobility, public spaces and green areas, housing, security. In addition, the residential stability of seniors and overall residential satisfaction are assessed.

Analysis of the impact of ageing on health care spending in selected countries of the Commonwealth Abstract This thesis examines and analyses development of population ageing in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and especially its impact on the spending in the sector of health care. It includes comparison of demographic trends and description of health care systems in selected countries. The analysis is then processed by an econometric model focused on the impact of population ageing on government spending and spending of the private sector on health care through life expectancy at birth, ratio of population aged 65 years and above and other indicators. The modelling is carried out using linear regression, vector autoregression and fixed effects model in panel data. The results show that population ageing indeed affects through different intensity both government and private sector spending on health care in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

An essential part of high-level medicine of every state is hospice-based and palliative care. Throughout the world and throughout western Europe there is a fully established network of mobile and residential hospices. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic is in the early stages, making efforts to improve the situation and to firmly embed hospice care into its social and health service provision. The year 2016 is one of great expectations. Firstly there is an ongoing pilot programme of grants supporting mobile palliative care, which will compare the "cost of dying" at home with the cost spent by institutions. Secondly, a decision by the Ministry of Work and Social Services is expected with respect to proposed changed in law no. 108/2006 of the Collection of Laws on social services. If passed, this would mean a hospice would turn into an official social and health institution, thereby markedly improving the problem of financing the care provided within one, as it is a combination of social and health services. The aim of this thesis is to provide a more integrated briefing of current information related to the given issues. Therefore the theoretical part covers not only hospice and palliative care itself, but space is given to other issues such as cancer, population ageing with its impal on the economy and to new forms of care for senior citizens, dying and death. Furthermore the thesis deals with the question of financing hospice care, with particular emphasis on community planning. Lastly the theoretical part of the thesis covers the characteristics of Jindřichův Hradec, the municipality with extended competence and a description of the need for hospice care from the perspectives of both the Town Jindřichův Hradec and the Southern Bohemian region. The Hospital Jindřichův Hradec, plc and the Town itself are aware of the need for palliative care in the given region. Both organizations have therefore already undertaken important steps, based on which the Southern Bohemian region has included support for hospice and palliative care into planning and health development for the coming years. The aim of the thesis is to map out the situation concerning the provision of hospice care in the area of Jindřichův Hradec, the municipality with extended competence and to establish the requirements for this care by considering the interest of the citizens from the given area. The experimental part of the thesis uses two approaches to establish the need for hospice care. Firstly, this was content analysis of data materials provided by social and health service providers, and secondlya qualitative investigation using interviews with eight respondents of a panel on community planning of social services in the area of Jindřichův Hradec, the municipality with extended competence. Included are also statistical data from the Hospital Jindřichův Hradec plc, with emphasis on oncology patients, because these form the major group receiving palliative care. The result of the research is not surprising. The population is ageing demographically, cancer-related illnesses are the nightmare of our time and the social and health care in Czech Republic must adapt to this fact. The research confirmed that hospice care in Jindřichův Hradec, the municipality with extended competence is needed, that the families of patients are requesting it and that services currently offered are deficient. It became evident that the overwhelming support is for the development of a residential hospice or for establishment of palliative beds in the hospital. In Southern Bohemia there is only one residential hospice in Prachatice, which is little used due to the long distance and thus the families have no opportunity for respite care, which the carers are also interested in. The research confirmed, that the creation of a residential form of hospice type in the area of Jindřichův Hradec, the municipality with extended competence is supported by general practitioners, specialist doctors